


kiss your knuckles before you punch me in the face

by hartbun



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cowboy AU, ITS ABOUT THE YEARNING, Injury, M/M, Roronoa Zoro is Bad At Feelings, Slow Burn, more TBA - Freeform, snuggling :]
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28659045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hartbun/pseuds/hartbun
Summary: “What the hell are you?” he couldn’t help asking. The young man turned to him, the same grin he’s had this whole time stretched on his face.“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m gonna be king of the outlaws.”
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

“I’m gonna be king of the outlaws,” the young man before him grinned widely.

Zoro stared at him, not entirely convinced he wasn’t some illusion his mind conjured from the heat. After all, why would anyone in their right mind actually approach the bounty hunter, Roronoa Zoro? Ever since he’d been strung up on that post for execution, no one had even given him a passing glance. And here was this no name outlaw, strutting up to him with the confidence of the world’s most wanted man.

This guy either didn’t know who he was, or was too stupid to care. And if he weren’t tied up right now, Zoro would make sure that was the last mistake this guy ever made. That kind of idiocy could get you killed in a place like this. And this guy thought he was gonna be king? Deciding he didn’t give a shit if any passer by thought he was insane, he laughed anyway, the sound coming out a little delirious. Maybe the heat stroke was really setting in now. These last few days had felt hotter than usual. Since Zoro was sure the Sheriffs were just torturing him at this point. He wished they’d just get it over with and kill him. Sometimes some bratty guy would come and punch or kick him, but it had been a few days since Zoro had seen him. Maybe he’d gotten bored of him.

The young man frowned at him. “What’s so funny about it? Is the heat making you stupid or something?” The way he was looking at him made it seem like he thought Zoro was the idiot here. Zoro didn’t really have much energy left to argue. He let his head hang down, exhausted again.

“You, king of the outlaws?” Zoro asked, slightly wheezy. He looked the young man over. Pretty scrawny, dark and wild hair, inexperienced looking. He seemed like any other rookie. The kind of low bounty general store thief Zoro would be taking in if he wasn’t currently tied to a post. “No way, now beat it. I got an execution coming up.” he said, hoping that would be enough to make the guy leave.

The Sheriffs had managed to catch him a few days ago. Or so they claimed. In reality, Zoro had turned himself in, but that’s not what was being printed in the papers. On almost every bulletin board in the town there were posters hanging with the words “Bounty Hunter Roronoa Zoro captured. Execution imminent.” Zoro wanted to laugh in the face of the idiot son of the Sheriff who had proudly shoved one of those posters in his face. They only wished they could bring in someone like him.

What had really happened is Zoro had coincidentally been stopped at an inn in the town when the same pompous asshole decided to show up, bringing in a fucking cyote of all things. The man (Zoro hadn’t bothered to learn his name), simply sat at a table, watching the animal run around wildly, tearing up whatever it could.

At first he was just going to ignore it, he only planned on passing through after all. However, the daughter of the innkeeper suddenly ran over and started beating the thing with a broom.

The girl screamed as the coyote went in to bite her, and Zoro reacted by quickly throwing the nearest bar stool at it, knocking it to the floor. The customers nearby all sighed in relief, but the idiot who owned the animal looked furious. Before the guy could get as much as a word out, Zoro drew one of his rifles, holding it point blank at the man’s face.

“You’re annoying me, you and your pet,” he said curtly. The man let out a shriek, scrambling back.

“H-how dare you-?!” he shouted. He looked panicked, glancing around until he spotted the innkeeper and her daughter towards the front of the crowd that had gathered around them. He had a sinister looking grin on his face. “You know, once my father hears about what’s happened here, he’ll have that mother and daughter executed,” he said calmly. Zoro glanced over at the pair. The mother held her daughter close, looking scared. “However,” he continued. “Why don’t we make a deal? You’ll get strung up in their place for...say, one month. Yeah, one month. If you survive, I’ll let you all live. What do you say?”

Normally, Zoro would beat up a guy like this within an inch of his life and walk away. However, he couldn’t take on a whole army of the Sheriff’s men on his own. Especially not with other people’s lives at stake as well. All that, and he couldn’t wound his own pride by turning down a challenge. He dropped his rifle to the floor, accepting.

As promised, they did tie him up. But quickly after, Zoro realized they had no intention of letting him live. The posters declaring his execution were quickly released, and rumors got around quickly.

People walking around the town could see him strung up there, clear as day. It was pretty humiliating, to say the least. People would murmur about him, thinking they were out of earshot.

“Did you hear? They managed to bring in Bounty Hunter Zoro.”

“I heard they didn’t want him hunting bounties anymore because he’s too violent.” A few glances towards the man tied to the post, and they would quickly scurry away, not wanting to get too close.

Zoro grumbled to himself, wishing his torment hadn’t been turned into a public spectacle. And now here he was, likely a day or two from being executed. And some brat he’d never met asking him to join him.

“I wasn’t too sure about recruiting you at first, but that girl Rika told me what you did. So I’m gonna get you out so you can join my gang,” he said, beaming. Zoro just wanted to sleep.

“Whatever, doesn’t matter,” he said. “I can’t do shit tied up. And I’m gonna die anyway. Why are you still here?” he asked, hoping this guy would gain some common sense and get away already. Instead, the young man just glanced around.

“I heard you’re good with rifles yeah? I don’t see ‘em anywhere.” Zoro sighed. “That guy took my stuff when he tied me up. They’re in the Sheriff’s office,” he said, nodding towards the large building nearby. The man looked over, his smile somehow growing wider.

“Oh, got it. I’ll get your stuff back, and then you’ll join me ok?” He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Zoro scoffed, lacking the energy to laugh again.

“Like I’d ever become an outlaw like you. You guys are scum,” He spat. The man stared at him.

“Well people already think you’re an evil bounty hunter. What’s the difference?” he asked. Before Zoro could respond, the guy had waved at him and started running in the direction of the sheriff’s office.

Zoro sighed, finally getting some peace. He was about to close his eyes, when he saw the guy’s arm suddenly stretch as he rocketed himself towards the top of the building.

Zoro stared in disbelief. Yeah, he definitely had heat stroke.

* * *

Zoro had seen a few things in his life since he took up bounty hunting. A rubber outlaw was very new though.

A group of Sheriffs had taken the opportunity to come and finally do the job, and dazedly Zoro was glad the agreement was about to be over. They all circled around him, rifles at the ready. Distantly, he heard some commotion going on inside the office, but he was too tired to care.

One of the men gave the order to fire. Zoro flinched as he heard the triggers being pulled, but the impact never came.

Looking up, surprised to still be alive, he couldn’t help staring at what he saw. The man from before, carrying Zoro’s rifles on his back, standing in front of him, his skin somehow...stretching-as all the bullets passed through them.

The man grinned, with a shout of, “That won’t work!” And the bullets all bounced off him. Zoro’s jaw hung open in surprise.

“What the hell are you?” he couldn’t help asking. The young man turned to him, the same grin he’s had this whole time stretched on his face.

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m gonna be king of the outlaws.”

* * *

Luffy had promptly shoved his two rifles towards him, not realizing he couldn’t hold them in the first place, before noticing a long survival knife tied to the butt of one of the rifles.

“Oops, how did that get there?” he asked. Zoro shook his head.

“That’s mine too. Whatever, just give it to me,” he quickly ordered. And with that, Zoro was cut free.

Zoro clutched his two rifles in his hand, and clenched the knife between his teeth.

These guys were as good as dead.

* * *

One short fight later, and Zoro found the words, “My pleasure, boss,” slipping out of his mouth all too easily. It was just the delirium from being tied up so long, he decided.

The captain of the Sheriffs was taken down, and Zoro heard the men he commanded cheering, but he didn’t really care why. These guys were all getting on his nerves, and he was feeling stiff and exhausted from being tied in the same position for three weeks.

The exhaustion was really setting in now. The world started to spin a bit, and suddenly he was laying in the dirt.

Luffy walked over to him, not looking very concerned. “What’s the matter with you?” he asked stupidly.

Zoro grumbled out the word “hungry” before closing his eyes.

* * *

He woke up later in the same inn he started at, Luffy explaining through his fifth plate that he had dragged Zoro there. Wondering how Luffy accomplished that, but not really caring, he helped himself to whatever Luffy was having as well.

For the most part they sat in silence, Luffy occasionally saying something with his mouth full that Zoro would ignore. This was certainly an...interesting person he had chosen to follow. Chosen might be a bit of a stretch. He didn’t really have much of a choice in the moment. And his mind wasn’t all there. But he supposed if he was gonna be the right hand man of an outlaw, he’d be the best he could be.

He glanced over at his aforementioned boss. He’d removed his hat since they sat down, and Zoro could see his face more clearly now. His dark hair hung down in his eyes, and Zoro could see a scar across his cheek, right under his eye. As Zoro watched him, he saw Luffy stretch his arm across the table to steal something off his plate. Zoro would have stopped him if he wasn’t still totally caught off guard by the whole stretching thing.

Luffy noticed him staring, and simply laughed. He hooked a finger in his mouth, pulling his cheek, farther than any normal human should be able to. “I’m a rubber man,” was the only explanation he gave.

Zoro decided this would probably not be the weirdest thing he experienced while riding with Luffy, and simply shrugged.

“So, you got a horse or something?” he asked. Luffy nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, I got a small one now, but someday I’ll have a bunch of them, and one of those cool stagecoaches,” he babbled on, excited at the thought.

Zoro glanced outside, seeing a pony tied to a post with a small wagon behind it. He imagined himself being stuck with Luffy, riding on such a small and embarrassing thing.

He couldn’t help bursting out into laughter. Through his fit he couldn’t see the way Luffy stared at him, smiling almost gently, looking pleased.

* * *

The two of them sat on the small pony, riding away from the town. ‘Good riddance,’ was Zoro’s only thought. However the minute they stepped out of the town, his next thought was, ‘This stupid horse is too fucking small for two people.’

Luffy insisted on sitting in front, which left Zoro to sit behind him, awkwardly wondering how he should hold onto this thing. His options were either, put his hands around Luffy’s waist, or try his damndest to hold on by the sides of the saddle. The second of which would not be easy because Luffy liked to try and make the pony go as fast as possible.

Almost three times now Zoro had almost been thrown off, and by the fourth time Zoro instinctively reaches over and held onto Luffy before he realized what he was doing. Luffy just laughed though, not seeming to notice or care. Zoro grumbled to himself. He’d been a lone bounty hunter for a few years now. Being around one person shouldn’t be giving him this much trouble. Luffy turned to him then.

“Hold on tight Zoro,” he ordered.

Zoro sighed, nodding at the order. “Sure thing boss.”


	2. Chapter 2

Zoro realized he probably should’ve learned what he was getting into before agreeing to be an outlaw with Luffy. Although considering he didn’t have much choice in the matter, there wasn’t much that he could've done in the first place. Luffy would’ve been the one to drag him out of that town one way or another. Zoro was just along for the ride. 

He quickly learned how very unprepared Luffy was for traveling.

His already meager amount of supplies had disappeared mysteriously quickly, according to Luffy. But after seeing what his boss’ appetite was like, there was very little doubt in Zoro’s mind that Luffy hadn’t just burned through whatever he had without realizing. He had stocked up some at the inn before leaving, but between the two of them everything they had gotten was almost completely gone, save for a small crate of apples. And after eating nothing but apples for a few days, Zoro felt like he was going insane. 

Not only that, but the only remaining supplies Luffy still had on him that weren’t edible, were a thin tent and a sleeping bag. 

And he only had one of each. 

To avoid the awkwardness of sharing a thin sleeping bag, Zoro had suggested they both take turns taking watch, so while one slept the other would be on look out. Zoro thought this was a good idea at first, until he remembered Luffy had little to no attention span. 

It was Luffy’s turn for watch, and after a long, long day of riding Luffy’s pony (Hamburger, he’d named it) through the hot desert, Zoro just wanted to sleep. 

His head hit the sleeping bag, and for the first time in a while, he thought he wouldn’t have much trouble falling asleep. However, he was soon woken up by rustling coming from outside the tent. Zoro quickly sat up, instinctively reaching for his hunting knife, ready to fight off any intruder. 

He gripped the knife tight, fully prepared to stab it into whatever was out there, until Luffy poked his head into the tent. He eyed the knife pointed at his throat, and laughed, not in the least bit nervous. 

“Oi, Zoro, are you sleeping with your knife? That’s dumb. What if you stab yourself?” he asked, crawling into the small tent as if he hadn’t just scared the living shit out of Zoro. Zoro sputtered in disbelief as Luffy made his way over to him, kicking off his boots and shoving them into the corner of the tent. “Hey, move over,” he ordered, trying to climb into the sleeping bag, oblivious to Zoro sputtering the whole time as he watched.

“What the fuck are you doing-?!” Zoro finally asked. Luffy looked up at him, frowning in confusion.

“Waddaya mean? I said move over, I wanna sleep,” he said, trying to nudge Zoro over.

“You’re supposed to be on watch you moron!” Zoro shouted. “What if someone attacks us in the middle of the night?!” he tried to reason. Luffy just laughed.

“I got bored, there’s no one out there! Besides, we don’t have anything worth stealing. Unless someone out there likes apples,” he said. He gave up trying to push Zoro aside, instead just flopping down onto the sleeping bag, nestled very close to Zoro. “There aren’t even any snakes to watch, it’s really boring at night,” he continued, yawning. He pulled his hat off his head, stretching his arm so he could place the thing next to his boots.

Zoro stared at his boss, lazily curled on his side. Swallowing thickly, he supposed Luffy was probably right in his reasoning (something he would not often say), and begrudgingly moved over, giving Luffy the space he had demanded earlier. He was too tired to argue anymore. And trying to make Luffy do something he didn’t want to was like arguing with a brick wall. Luffy eagerly took the space Zoro had offered, and the two were squished together close on the sleeping bag.

Luffy noticed the knife still clutched close to Zoro’s chest, and he realized he was still holding it. ‘Force of habit,’ he thought, quickly putting it down. He looked at the wooden handle, the name ‘KUINA’ still carved into it, in child like letters. Luffy seemed to be examining the weapon as well.

“Where did Zoro get it?” he asked casually. Zoro huffed. He didn’t feel like explaining everything right now when he’d rather be sleeping.

“It belonged to a friend. Now go to sleep,” Zoro said, rolling onto his side, so Luffy was facing his back. Luffy made an annoyed sound, lightly thumping his fist against Zoro’s shoulder blade.

“Hey! No fair, I asked a question,” he said. Zoro rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll tell ya some other time. Go to sleep,” he replied, closing his eyes again. He was too tired to deal with a petulant Luffy. Luffy grumbled, and shifted to get more comfortable. Zoro could feel how close they were, and despite how cold the desert could be at night, he felt very hot all of a sudden. 

“Night Zoro,” Luffy hummed, before going quiet. He stayed awake until he heard Luffy’s breathing even out, signaling he was asleep. Zoro was hesitant, before turning back over to face him. 

Luffy snored softly, his features relaxed in sleep. Looking at him now, Zoro never would have guessed he was a powerful fighter, much less someone he would call boss. Sometimes, Zoro couldn’t believe he became an outlaw for someone like him. 

But Luffy had seen something in him when everyone else had not. They had all feared him and labeled him a criminal, and Zoro himself was almost inclined to believe them. Zoro laughed to himself, a sound with no humor in it. 

This outlaw had saved him, and now here he was, swearing his life to him. 

Luffy snored, his arm swinging out and wrapping around Zoro. 

Zoro went ridgid, not moving. Luffy had him tight in well...an embrace. And he may not look it, but Luffy was pretty damn strong. 

Zoro tried his best to wriggle free of Luffy’s grip, but ultimately it was no good. Luffy had him good. And it didn’t seem like he would be inclined to wake up any time soon. 

Zoro sighed. He’d had enough of being tied up for a lifetime, but he reasoned this time wasn’t as bad as the last. 

He was too tired to do anything about it, and resigned himself to his fate, closing his eyes and knocking out. 

* * *

Of course Luffy had to go and get himself carried off by some...giant bird. God, it sounded stupid just thinking it. But Zoro supposed he really shouldn’t have expected any better. 

Luffy was getting too restless lately, roaming the desert with little to do and no meat. Zoro had to admit he was getting bored too, but for the most part he was used to having no one to entertain him for himself. He got through those painful three weeks being tied up mostly by meditating and napping. 

Unfortunately, Luffy did not have the same self discipline as Zoro. He could see his boss fidgeting and looking around, eagerly pointing out whatever he saw, desperate for some distraction from the boring wasteland.

Zoro would just nod along, or grunt in response. He wasn’t so good with words, much less full conversation, and he wished he was better just so Luffy wouldn’t have to ramble to himself all day. But Luffy seemed fine to just talk out loud about whatever subject he felt like, and Zoro was content to listen. 

Luffy was in the middle of a pretty long story about someone he’d met a long time ago, (Shanks, Zoro recalled) when Luffy’s attention was immediately caught by a giant bird overhead. Zoro looked up, regretting it when the sun glared directly in his eyes. 

Luffy however, wasted no time at all, stretching his arms to latch onto the thing, and before Zoro could react, Luffy was screaming as the bird carried him away. 

Zoro gave chase as best he could, (his sense of direction certainly didn’t help at all) but eventually he found himself in Orange Town.

And what a sight was waiting for him upon his arrival. 

A gang of clown outlaws was very strange to say the least. Rubber cowboy was falling lower and lower on the list of weird things he’d seen. 

They seemed to be in the middle of some kind of celebration, when Zoro so rudely barged in and interrupted. However he wasn’t really concerned with being polite, especially after seeing they had Luffy tied up in some sort of cage, and a large cannon pointed at him. And there was a nervous looking red haired woman holding the match. 

She looked surprised to see him, and the other clowns reacted similarly, murmuring amongst themselves. 

Zoro sighed upon hearing the words, ‘Bounty Hunter Zoro,’ and shook his head, looking behind them to his boss. 

“Oi, what the hell did you get yourself into?” He asked him directly. Luffy laughed sheepishly, grinning wide. 

“Long story, sorry Zoro,” he simply said. Zoro almost laughed to himself, but soon the watching crowd parted, and the apparent boss of the clowns appeared, laughing heartily.

“You must be Bounty Hunter Zoro-so you’ve finally come for the price on my head,” he boasted. Zoro stared at the strange red nose on his face. He had no idea who this was. If he’d seen his wanted poster, he probably would’ve remembered it. But the clown continued, “I, Buggy, will give you a quick and flashy death!” 

Zoro would’ve rather ignored him, but it seemed he was getting roped into a fight wether he wanted or not. With a sigh, he drew his rifles, the knife quickly placed between his teeth. Buggy responded in kind, drawing a pair of pistols.

The fight seemed to be over in an instant, Buggy dead on the ground and Zoro standing victoriously. Luffy let out a cheer, and even the red head seemed to relax a bit. Zoro stepped over towards the cage, but stopped when he heard laughter from behind him. 

He heard the woman gasp, and before Zoro could turn around, he heard the sound of a gun go off. 

Pain seared through his side, the bullet hitting his mark. Zoro doubled over, hearing the laughter getting louder. The woman shrieked, Luffy called his name, it all sounded far away. 

He pressed a hand to the wound, his glove coming away blood soaked. He just grit his teeth. This wasn’t the place to pass out, he could deal with it later.

* * *

The rest of Orange Town was a blur.

Luffy had called for him, yelled at him to run. Zoro understood him, without him every having to say what he really meant. 

He flipped the cannon over, and as it went off, Zoro used the commotion to drag Luffy away.

The blood loss was making him woozy, but he remembered the red head, Nami as she introduced herself, following them. 

Zoro didn’t trust her, but there wasn’t much he could do about it when he could barely think straight. 

Some sleep,a fight with a freak on a unicycle (rubber cowboy seemed rather tame now), and one showdown with Buggy later they were through with the place. Luffy was dragging Zoro, slung over his shoulder, as they left with Nami. 

She had agreed to be their temporary guide through the desert, seeming to have an excellent sense of direction and navigation skills. 

“So, where is your guys’ horse?” she asked, mounting her own. Luffy looked around, also confused, as he only spotted the wagon with the few supplies they had.

“Oi Zoro, where’s Hamburger?” Luffy asked, nudging the injured man. 

“Ran off,” Zoro grunted. Nami groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“How did you morons even survive this long?” She asked, exasperated. With one pleading look from Luffy and an exasperated sigh, she finally let the two up on her horse as well. It was a tight fit, but the three of them managed to fit together. 

Zoro was still not all there due to his injuries, and was forced to sit in the back, slumped forward against Luffy’s back. 

As Nami rode off, Luffy turned back to Zoro, nudging him again a bit to make sure he was awake. Zoro responded with another tired grunt, and Luffy looked relieved. 

“Is Zoro ok?” he asked quietly. Zoro cracked an eye open to look at him.

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” he muttered. Nothing some sleep wouldn’t fix. Luffy seemed satisfied with that answer, smiling a little. 

“Good,” he said. He paused for a moment before adding, “what Zoro did was really cool.” Zoro opened both eyes at that. 

“Was nothin’ boss, just following orders,” he hummed. He decided a nap would be a good idea, and closed his eyes again to sleep. Luffy nodded, patting Zoro’s head.

“Night Zoro.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im glad you guys like my illustrations!!! hakjfhgkj
> 
> if you wanna see more of my art you can find me on twitter and insta @ buntoryuu


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro quickly learned him and Nami both had similar sleeping schedules. 

That is to say, very sparse at best, nonexistent at worst. 

Zoro was often the one to take watch at night, him being the only one with the attention span to sit there for long periods of time (he’d realized since the sleeping bag incident). And, not that he didn’t trust Nami to be able to keep watch, but he still felt wary around new people. That, and his still healing injuries wouldn’t allow him to sleep. 

Every time he’d toss and turn, it would bring him pain. During the day his side ached, but he was able to ignore it by just listening to whatever his boss was rambling on about that day. He would always cheer loudly about how they were on their way to the Grand Desert, and how he was going to be king of the outlaws. 

And then he’d chuckle when Nami would whack him over the head and say they were nowhere near ready, especially with little supplies and one horse. 

Luffy didn’t seem to see a problem with this, and Nami would argue and threaten to push him from the horse while Zoro laughed. 

During the day, it was a lot easier to ignore the pain, but at night there was nothing to focus on but the stupid bandages that bothered him, and the embarrassment of being shot by a fucking clown of all things. 

So, Zoro would stay up at night, watching the wide variety of nothing the desert had to offer, while Luffy snored away in the tent. During one of their supply runs, Nami managed to get a case of beer. It wasn’t his favorite, but Zoro would take what he could get. He’d often bring a bottle with him on watch. 

Nami had brought her own tent, but most nights she would leave it soon after saying she was going to sleep. Zoro would hear her pacing around near the remains of the campfire, occasionally kicking up dirt with her boots. She seemed to be debating something to herself, but it wasn’t any of Zoro’s business. 

She would mutter things to herself under her breath occasionally, and Zoro would tune it out. Nami was entitled to the privacy of her vulnerability. If she appreciated it, she said nothing, and Zoro never asked. 

He was still wary of her, but there seemed to be a silent understanding between them.

Zoro never spoke to her, comforting words were not his strong suit, but he felt a bit of sympathy for the navigator anyway. Nightmares were always rough, travelling with some idiots you just met probably didn’t make it any better. 

This continued on for some time, Luffy never knowing a thing about it (although Zoro always felt their boss knew something behind that naive face he always put on. Somehow that guy had a sixth sense about his friend’s emotions). 

Zoro sat in the dark, the embers of the fire slowly fizzling away, idly picking at the bandages wrapped around his torso. They were damn irritating, but Nami always screeched at him when he tried to take them off. Something about how he shouldn’t try to get an infection when they were miles and miles from a town with no doctor. He just wanted her to stop so he could nap, so he gave up and left it. 

Didn’t stop the things from being so constricting. Why couldn’t he just loosen them a bit? He could barely move around in them. If they got attacked and he couldn’t do anything cause of them, they’d be in trouble. He grumbled to himself, picking away at the bandages, when a presence came over and sat down beside him. 

Zoro grunted softly, acknowledging Nami beside him. She simply nodded, no need for words. Zoro glanced over, noticing something new in her hands. A guitar. 

The instrument was wooden, and faded a bit, a few splinters poking out, but it looked well loved and well taken care of. There was a name carved into the body of it, and in the dark Zoro squinted to make out the cursive letters. 

_ Bellemere _

Before Zoro could ask what she wanted, Nami had already started strumming. She picked a few idle notes, and Zoro decided that he shouldn’t interrupt her song, staying quiet. 

For a bit, Nami continued playing quietly, a song emerging from the seemingly random notes she played. Zoro watched her fingers pressing down on the strings to form the chords. She continued wordlessly, until she began to hum along to the song she played. 

Zoro looked back out at the desert, listening as she played. Zoro didn’t recognize the song, but he had a feeling it held a lot of meaning to her. 

As the last notes bled out into the quiet of the desert, Nami rested the guitar by her leg, letting out a sigh. 

“Aren’t you bored of sitting out here alone every night?” She finally spoke. Zoro glanced towards her, shrugging. 

“Not really. ‘Sides, I’m not exactly alone if you’re walking around here every night,” he said. Nami laughed softly to herself at that. 

“Still, every night? Aren’t you tired?” Zoro shook his head. 

“Nah, I don’t sleep too much at night anyway. Napping is easier.” The red head didn’t say anything to that, and Zoro assumed the conversation was over. Zoro was content to just sit in silence with her after that, until she spoke again.

“Back in Orange Town...why did you do that?” Zoro took a long drink of the beer. 

“Do what,” he lied. He knew what the woman had meant. She gave him an exasperated look.

“You know, with the cage! That thing must’ve weighed a ton, and you were just dragging it around, while your stomach was almost spilling out! You aren’t human,” she said. “Why did you do that? Haven’t you barely known him longer than I have? If I were you, I would’ve gotten away while I still had my life.” Zoro grumbled, not wanting to have this conversation. 

To tell the truth, he wasn’t quite sure why either. He figured if he left Luffy there, he’d find a way out on his own somehow. But for some reason he just...couldn’t leave him behind. 

It was strange really. He’d found himself reaching for the cage before even thinking about anything else. Something in his chest...tugged at him. ‘Make sure Luffy is safe,’ it said. 

Zoro had always been a loner, so where this weird instinct to protect had come from, he couldn’t say. But it didn’t really matter anymore. Luffy got out of the cage, there were both alive. He was safe. He did his job. Zoro took another long drink of the beer.

“Just doin’ my job,” he hollowly supplied. That wasn’t the answer Nami wanted, but it would have to do for now. And Zoro wasn’t really ready to confront whatever the real answer might be. 

Nami didn’t seem satisfied, but she didn’t press any further. Feeling the silence wash over them again, for the first time in a while Zoro felt...awkward about the silence. For some reason, he was wracking his brain for something to say. He found himself glancing at the guitar by Nami’s leg again.

“You play?” he fumbled. Nami looked up, almost surprised. She wrapped a hand around the neck of the guitar, thumbing the side gently.

“Not much, just a couple songs,” she said softly. Zoro hummed in response. She quickly looked up at him. “Why, do you?” she asked, holding the guitar closer, defensively. 

“Yeah,” he grunted. Nami looked at him incredulously, before laughing. Zoro was worried the volume would wake their sleeping boss, but the resounding snores continued as Nami wheezed for air. Zoro scowled, elbowing her.

“What’s so funny?” he grumbled. Nami snickered, wiping a loose tear from her eye.

“You? Playing an instrument?” she asked breathlessly. Zoro glared at her, but Nami was unaffected. “Where did you even learn? I didn’t think you’d even care about anything that wasn’t weapons or alcohol.”

“I learned when I was younger ok?” Zoro snapped. Nami smiled. 

“Well I’m not about to lend you this guitar,” she said. “However if the next town has a music shop, I’d be happy to get you one.” She said, smiling warmly. Zoro raised an eyebrow, waiting for the catch. “You’d have to pay me back of course, plus interest,” she finished. Zoro sighed.

“Forget it,” he said. Looking out at the wasteland, he could see the sun poking out over the branches of some distant cactus. Nami sighed in exaggerated disappointment.

“Such a shame, I’m sure the boss would have loved to hear you play,” she said, her smile so deceptively sweet it made Zoro feel sick. The thought of playing a song for Luffy made him feel...something. He went to drink again but found the beer bottle empty. Just his luck. He huffed, shaking his head. Sunlight began to spill over the piles of sand. 

“No, I don’t think he would,” he said standing up. “Just forget it, let’s get ready to leave,” he said, briskly walking away from the conversation. He heard Nami snicker to herself, and Zoro cursed her under his breath. 

He made his way over to Luffy’s tent, in order to wake him up. The guy could be a pretty heavy sleeper, and Zoro would be damned if they had to pack up another campsite while Luffy slept away. Zoro just hoped he wouldn’t have to wake him up every day of their journey. He’d rather not be brought on only to end up being a human alarm clock. 

Ducking down, he entered the tent to see Luffy sprawled on his back, sleeping soundly. Zoro almost envied how he was able to sleep without any problems (at least that he knew of). Zoro shook his head, bracing himself as he reached over and shook the young man awake. 

“Oi Luffy, get up,” he said. Luffy whined tiredly, rolling onto his side. 

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled into the pillow. Zoro grumbled, jostling him harder. 

“No, we’re packing up. Come help,” he said. Luffy instead tried to move away from him, mumbling more protests. Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Get up already,” he said, again laying his hand on his shoulder. At this, Luffy opened his eyes. Before Zoro could process what had happened, a fist had connected with his cheek, and he was suddenly sitting on the floor of the tent.

Luffy quickly sat up, realizing what he’d done.

“Oops! Sorry Zoro, I wasn’t thinkin’-I mean-Ace would do the same thing-it didn’t hurt cause I’m rubber but-” Luffy shook his head, looking sheepish. “Sorry Zoro,” he said again.

Zoro rubbed the sore spot on his cheek, letting out a low breath. It didn’t hurt badly, Luffy wasn’t exactly fully awake so it wasn’t like he was punching with his full strength. It was just a surprise was all. Luffy quickly went over to his side, grabbing Zoro’s chin so he could examine his face.

Zoro swallowed thickly. What the fuck was going on?

“Oh good, no bruise,” Luffy said, relieved. He grinned widely, laughing to himself, a little nervously. “You ok Zoro?” he asked. Zoro nodded slowly, Luffy releasing him.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Just hurts a little,” he tried to reassure him. Luffy nodded, and before Zoro could really do anything to stop him, a pair of lips connected with his cheek.

Zoro felt like he’d been punched again.

“There, now it won’t hurt!” Luffy said, looking proud. “I’m hungry, let’s find breakfast,” he said, quickly making his way out of the tent. 

Zoro was left sitting by himself for a minute, letting out a wheeze. He ghosted his fingers over his cheek, wondering what the hell had just happened. Did Luffy just kiss him? Well it wasn’t like a  _ real  _ kiss, but for all intents and purposes it was right? Maybe he’d just imagined it? Did any of that even really happen?

Maybe he was overthinking it. 

He dazedly made his way out of the tent. 

Nami had already had her own things packed, and was chastizing Luffy for trying to get into their food supply. Luffy just snickered to himself, looking unapologetic. As if whatever had just happened didn’t happen. 

Zoro decided he shouldn't think about it too hard, and Luffy was probably like that with everybody. 

He smiled to himself, hearing Luffy laughing in the distance as he packed up the tent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had a scrapped illustration for this chapter ill post it on my twitter @bunzoro (yeah i changed my @ very cringe)

**Author's Note:**

> yehaw


End file.
